Internal-combustion engine



Aug. 24 1926.

. O. H. HANSEN INTERNAL coMBUs'rIoN ENGINE Filed August 28. 1920 VAS Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

OSWALD H. HANSEN, F PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application 1ed`August 2S, 1920. Serial No. 406,580.

p This invention relates in general to imV provements in the construction and 0peration of fluid pressure actuated motors, and relates more specifically to an improved 5 valve mechanism for internal combustion engines and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved fluid pressure actuated motor such as an internal combustion engine, which is simple in construction and efficient in operation. Another object is to provide simple and efficient valve mechanism for` controlling the admission and exhaust of fluids to and from a fluid pressure actuated engine.

Some of the more important specific ob jects of the invention are as follows z- To reduce to a minimum the noise and vibration in a motor, by eliminating the use of cams, levers and reversely movable parts.

To provide exceedingly simple, compact and highly efficient valve gear all parts of which are readily accessible for inspection or adjustment, and which may be conveniently assembled or dismantled.

To make provision for rapid, precise and independent adjustment of the inlet and exhaust valves of a fluidpressure actuated motor, whereby the' time of opening and closing of the valves may be relatively varied to produce most efficient operation of the engine.

To provide a rotary valve wheroon the pressures are automatically balanced and r which maybe effectively lubricated and packed to positively prevent escapeof fluids under pressure.

To secure desirably large port areas and to provide for rapid opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust ports. f

To avoid delivery of exhaust gases through the inlet passages and vice versa; and to prevent excessive heating of the engine parts.

To facilitate commercial manufacture by simplifying the various parts and making them readily machinable with standard ma chine tools.

To provide various other improvements in the construction and operation of engines of the internal combustion type and especially motors for driving` high speed vehicles for land, water and air.

principles thereof, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a part sectional top view of two a adjacent cylinders of a vertical four cylinder internal combustion engine, with the head removed and showing independent rotary inlet and exhaust valves for controlling the flow of fluids to and from the engine. j l.

-Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through the internal combustion engine, the section being taken at the inlet valve and along the irregular line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through the internal combustion engine, the section being taken at the exhaust valve and along the line III-III of Fig. 1. 30

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustrationof the valve driving gearing drawn to a reduced scale.

r1`he internal combustion engine illustrated in the drawing, comprises in general, a plus 35 rality of workingcylinders`2 arrangec in pairs, a set of independent rotary cylindrical inlet and exhaust valves 3, 4 for each pair of cylinders, a detachable cylinder head 5 coacting with each pair of cylinders and 90 With the corresponding set of valves, and suitable mechanism for driving the valves 3, 4. The cylindrical inlet valve 3 is adjustably secured to the upper extremity of the vertical shaft 14, by means of a nut 25. The

cylindrical exhaust valve 4 is adjustably se cured `to the upper extremity of the verticalA shaft 15, by means ycfa nut 26.` The shafts 14, `15 are supported in suitable bearings in the engine frame and areprovidedlattheir lower extremities with helical gears 21, 22 respectively, see Fig. 4. The gears 21, 22 mesh with opposite sides of a common helical driving gear 23 secured to the crank shaft granted March 55 24 of the engine, thus providing for rotation of the valves 3, 4 in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l.

The valves 3,4 lie within cylindrical recesses in the ends of the cylinders 2, and have opposed faces which lie in common planes. The lower face of the inlet valve Y 3 is in open communication with the combustion chamber 6 of each cylinder 2 through inlet ports 7. The upper face of the inlet valve 3 is in, o-pen communication with the combustion chamber 6 of each cylinder 2 through inlet ports 9 formed in the cylinders and through ports 19 formed in the cylinder head 5. Thelower face ofthe exhaust valve 4 is in open communication with the combustion chamber 6 of eac-h cylinder 2 through exhaust ports 8. The upper face of the exhaust valve 4 is in open com* munication with the combustion chamher 6 of each cylinder 2 through ports 10 formed in the cylinders and through ports 20'vformed inthe cylinder head 5. The ports 7, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20 are all of equal cross sectional area. Annular packing rings 17 engage the faces of the valves 3, 4 adjacent to each of the ports 7, 8, 19, 20, these rings being lccated in recesses in the cylinders 2 and head 5, and being rurged against the valve survfacesy by mea-ns of helical compression springs.

VThe inlet valvev 3 is hollow and has a single central inlet port which is in open communication with the' inlet supply passage- 11 formed in the cylinder head 5. The

vpassage 11 is surrounded by an annular packing ring 16 which engages the upper face ofthe valve 3', the ring 16l being located within a recess in the head 5 and being urged against thev surface of the. valve 3 by means of a helical co-mpression spring. The inlet valve 3 is also provided with oppositely disposed eccentric delivery ports 2? of like form and size, which. communicate with the supply passage 11 through the inner chamber of the. valve 3, and which are adapted to intermittently establish communication between the interior of the valve 3 and the ports i, 19., during rotation of the valve.

.The exhaust valve 4 is hollow and has a pair of oppositely disposed eccentric exhaust openings 28 ofV like form and size, which communicate with the inner chamber of the valve 4V and wh-ich are adapted to intermittently establish communication between the interior of the valve 4 and the ports 8, 20,

during rotat-ionofV the valve. The interior 'chamber of the exhaust valve 3 is in open communication with the exhaust passages 12 through. an. opening in the side of the va;lve4.

The cylinders 2v ofthe engine are provided with cooling water jackets 18, ofusual construction which communi-cate with suit'- able jackets in the head 5. Each ofthe cylinders 2 is also provided with an opening 13 within which an ignition device of usual forni may be located. Other details necessary to complete the structure and which form no part of the present invention, have been omitted in order to avoid obscurity.

During the normal operation of the en gine, the crank shaft 214 iswbeing rotated by the reciprocating pistons located within the cylinders 2. Rotation of the crank shaft 24 is transmitted through the helical gears 23, 22, 21, and through the vertical valve shafts 15, 14 tothe valves 4, 3, causing the valves to rotate in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The timing of the valves 3, 4 is such that during the suctio-n stroke, the eccentric ports 27 ofthe inlet valve 3 are in open communication with the inlet ports 7, 19, 9 thereby permitting vapor fuel to be dra-wn into the combustion chamber 6 from the supply passage 11 through the inte-rior of the valve 3 and the ports 2'?, 7, 19, 9. As disclosed in Fig. 1, the inlet valve 3 is about to open in order to admit fuel to the cylinder 2 at the right, the ex h-aust ports of' this cylinder having just beenE closed. During the exhaust stroke the eccentric ports 28 of the exhaust valve 4 are in open communication with the exhaust' gases to be delivered from the combustion.

chamber 6 through the ports 8, 10, 20, 28 and the interior chamber o-f the valve 4, and from thence through the si'deopening in the valve 4 to the exhaust passages l2. s disclosed in Fig. 1, th-eexhaust valve. 4 has closed with respect to the cylinder 2 aft. the right and has opened with respect tothe cyl'- inder 2 at the left.. During the compression and expansion strokes,vboth valves 3, 4 are, closed, ignition and combustion ofthe gases taking place during these strokes. The cylinde-rs 2 are preferably arranged in setsy of four having pistons and connecting rodsv associated with cranks advanced ninety degrees relatively to each o-ther, and provided with one set of inlet and exhaust valves 3, 4 for each pair'of cylinders.. With this arrangement, one cylinder 2h is under suction,

another is under compression, Vanother isl has heen eliminated. lith such a structureV the power necessary for operation of. the

Vmechanism is reduced to a minimum and noise and vibration are entirely eliminated.KV

1f it is :desired to relatively adjust the `valves 3, 4, it is necessary only to remove CTI lill) tightening the nut Q5, 26.

ing nut 25, 26 of the valve which it is desired toA adjust, and to rotate the. loosened valve about its operating shaft 14, 15 the desired amount, after which the adjusted valve may again be secured to its shaft by It will be obvious that the adjusting means may also be located near the driving gears 21, V22 instead of at the valves 3, 4 as disc-losed.

1vVit-h the cylinder head 5 removed, the valves El, 4- and other internal elements of the engine are readily accessible for inspection and removal. The mechanism is reduced to simple and compact form thereby making an engine embodying the same especially desirable for the propulsion of vehicles such as automobiles and airplanes.

The disposition of the inlet and exhaust ports 7, S, 9, 10, 19, 2O and the provision or packing rings 17 surrounding the ports adjacent to the valve surfaces, produces automatic balan'ing of the pressures upon the valves 3, 4 during rotation thereof, thereby also minimizing the power necessary for actuation and avoiding undesirable pressure on the bearings. The packing rings 1G, 17 also prevent escape of fluids under pressure and permit ready lubrication of the bearing surfaces.

By placing the valves 3, 4 in rolling peripheral association with each other and on opposite sides of the common plane of the cylinder axes, the valves may be made as large as desired in order to secure large aortareas, and the proportioning of the driving gears 21, 22, 23 may be made such that rapid opening and closing of the valves results. By providing independent inlet and exhaust valves 3, 4 necessity of.

delivering the inlet fluids through the'relatively hot exhaust ports, is avoided, thereby eliminating danger of preignition. The rotary cylindrical valves 3, 4 also permit location of relatively large cooling jackets in close proximity to the heated surfaces thereby permitting efficient cooling of the parts.

As all of the valve elements are formed as bodies of revolution, having either plane surfaces or surfaces of revolution, these elements are readily machinable with standard tools such as planers, lathes and boring mills, thereby reducing to a minimum the cost of manufacture.

t should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons slgilled in the art. y

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent v 1. In combination, a pair of `working cylinders, a hollow inlet valve for controlling admission of fluid to both of said cylinders, means foriadmitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically therefrom to said cylinders, a hollow exhaust valve for controlling delivery of fluid from both of said cylinders, and means for delivering fluid from said cylinders eccentrically to said valve and laterally from the side thereof.

2. In combination, a pair of working cylinders, an inlet valve for alternately admitting fluid `to said cylinders, means for admitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically therefrom to said cylinders, an exhaust valve for alternately delivering fluid from said cylinders, and means for delivering fluid from `said cylinders eccentrically to said valve and laterally from the side thereof.

3. In combination, a pair of working cylinders havingr parallel axes, a hollow inlet valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of said cylinders, means for admitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically therefrom to both of said cylinders, a hollow exhaust valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of said cylinders, and means for delivering fluid from said cylinders eccentrically to said valve and laterally from the side thereof.

4. In combination, a pair of working cylinders having parallel axes,an inlet valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of said cylinders, means for admitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically from an end thereof to said cylinders, an exhaust valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of said cylinders, and means for delivering fluid from said cylinders eccentrically through an end of said valve and laterally fro-m a side thereof. l

5. In combination, a working cylinder, a hollow inlet valve for controlling admission of fluid to said cylinder, means for admitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically therefrom to said cylinder, a hollow exhaust valve `for controlling delivery of fluid from said cylinder, and means for delivering fluid from said cylinder eccentrically to said valve and laterally from the side thereof.

6. In combination, a working cylinder, a hollow inlet valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of said cylinder, means for admitting fluid centrally to said valve and eccentrically from said valve to said cylinder, a hollow exhaust valve rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of said inlet valve, and means for delivering fluid from said cylinder eccentrically to said valve and laterally from the side thereof.

7. In combination, a pair of working cylinders located closely adjacent to each other, a rotary inlet valve common to both of said cylinders, means for admitting fluid centrally to an end of said valve and eccentrically from both ends thereof to said cylting fluid to said Cylinders, means for admit-v ting fluid centrally to said inlet valve and ec oentrieally therefrom to said cylinders, an exhaust Valve for alternately delivering fluid from said cylinders, means for deliveringV fluid from said Cylinders eceeiitrieally to said exhaust valve and laterally from the side thereof, and meansrfor rotating said Valves in opposite directions about axes parallel to the axes of said Cylinders.

9. In combination, a pair of Working cylinders, a rot-ary inlet Valve for alternately admitting` fluid to said Cylinders, means for admitting fluid centrally to said inlet valve and eeeentrically therefrom to said cylinders,

for rotating said valves iny opposite directions and at the same ,peripheral speed.

10. ln combination, a pair of VWorking cylinders, a rotary inlet valve for alternately admitting fluid to said cylinders, a rotary exhaust valve for alternately delivering fluid from said cylinders, means for delivering iiuid from said cylinders eccentrically to said exhaust valve and laterally from the side thereof, said Valves having peripheral engagement, and means for rotating said valves in opposite directions and Aat the same peripheral speed.

ln testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is axed hereto.

osWiiLD H. HANSEN.V 

